The present invention relates to a cover for a portable food container. More particularly, it relates to a cover incorporating a detachable utensil, the cover designed for improved performance and cost effective mass production.
A variety of different of snack food andlor drink products are packaged in relatively small, single serving containers. For example, yogurt, pudding, soup, etc. are all available in single serving packages. Consumers have expressed a strong interest in the convenience presented by this packaging technique. Namely, with a small, single serving package, the consumer is able to easily transfer the packaged food from one location (e.g., home) for consumption at another location (e.g., work, outdoor event, etc.).
Many of the available single serving food products are consumable without the use of a separate eating utensil. For example, relatively solid snack food items, such as cheese sticks and candy bars, can be eaten by hand. Similarly, drink products, such as soda pop and fruit drinks, are typically consumed directly from the package or container, without the need for an eating utensil.
A third category of consumable snack items relates to semi-liquid items such as yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, etc., or food items that are normally eaten hot or cold such as soup or ice cream. Consumption of these types of food normally requires a spoon, fork or similar utensil. In other words, the relatively liquid snack food items are not solid enough to be grasped by the consumer""s hand, and have too high a viscosity to be drunken. Soups frequently contain solid pieces dispersed in a liquid broth. Along these same lines, the containers associated with semi-liquid food items are normally rigid and therefore do not facilitate direct consumption. Alternatively, it may be difficult for a consumer to handle directly a frozen food item or an item that is served hot. In still other food applications, foods may require mixing for best use prior to consumption. For example, xe2x80x9cSundaexe2x80x9d style yogurt contains a layer of fruit sauce that is desirably mixed with the yogurt prior to consumption.
In light of the above, consumers are normally required to provide their own eating utensil to consume a single serving container of semi-liquid or temperature sensitive food. Occasionally, however, the consumer may not have ready access to such a utensil. For example, a consumer may desire to consume a single serving container of yogurt at a park. If the consumer forgets to bring a spoon with him or her, it is quite likely that the yogurt will not be consumed. The resulting frustration may dissuade that same consumer from purchasing the product again in the future. Similarly, a potential purchaser may decide against initially trying a particular product due to a perceived inconvenience in consumption. Obviously, these lost sales opportunities are of great concern to food product manufacturers. As such, any efforts to alleviate the consumption problem associated with semi-liquid food and/or temperature sensitive items will likely provide the particular food product manufacturer with a distinct competitive advantage.
One possible solution to the above-described problem is to provide an eating utensil with the product packaging. As a point of reference, one generally accepted snack food packaging approach entails an open-ended container and an associated lid or cover. A food item is maintained within the container. The cover normally seals the open end of the container, but is removable so as to provide access to the food. With this in mind, attempts have been made to incorporate an eating utensil into the packaging configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,212, for example, describes a food package having a foldable spoon disposed in a storage compartment formed underneath the cover. While this approach does directly provide the consumer with an eating utensil, it is likely not a viable solution from a cost standpoint. In terms of mass production, the increased packaging expense associated with providing a separate spoon element, in conjunction with the additional manufacturing steps of locating the spoon within a small compartment, likely renders this design cost prohibitive. Alternatively, other efforts have been made to integrally form a detachable spoon or other utensil into the cover. While this approach is more cost effective, certain other issues remain. For example, the integrally formed utensil may fail during normal use where the spoon does not have sufficient rigidity. Additionally, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to reseal the cover to the container once the spoon has been removed therefrom. Conversely, even a slight increase in spoon thickness to improve performance may result in an unacceptable increase in overall production costs. Other unforeseen manufacturing and design concerns will likewise increase the production costs and cycle time, potentially beyond a cost effective level.
Consumers continue to demand snack food items packaged in convenient, single serving containers. However, for certain types of food, the requirement of a separate eating utensil may diminish purchasing enthusiasm. Therefore, a substantial need exists for a portable food container cover having a detachable utensil with optimized performance and manufacturing characteristics.
One aspect of the present invention provides a cover for a portable food container. The portable food container includes a base and a side wall terminating in a lip opposite the base. With this in mind, the cover comprises a cover body and a utensil. The cover body is configured to selectively receive the lip formed by the container. The utensil includes a head piece and a handle piece. The head piece is detachably secured to the cover body. Similarly, the handle piece is detachably secured to the cover body. Further, at least a portion of the handle piece includes a reinforcement for limiting longitudinal bending of the handle piece. Finally, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other upon detachment from the cover body. In this assembled position, the head piece and the handle piece combine to form the utensil. In one preferred embodiment, the head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon. Prior to use by a consumer, the cover is secured to the container via the cover body. When the consumer is ready to consume the contents of the container, the cover is removed from the container. The head piece and the handle piece are detached from the cover body and assembled to form the utensil. The utensil, in turn, is then used by the consumer to consume food maintained in the container. In this regard, the reinforcement limits bending of the handle piece to reduce the potential for disassembly of the handle piece from the head piece during use.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a cover for a portable food container. The portable food container includes a base and a side wall terminating in a lip opposite the base. With this in mind, the cover comprises a cover body, a head piece, a handle piece and a plurality of breakable tabs. The cover body includes a face member and a skirt extending from an outer periphery of the face member. The face member forms a head opening and a handle opening. The skirt, in turn, is sized to selectively receive the lip formed by the container. The head piece is disposed within the head opening and includes a leading end and a trailing end. Similarly, the handle piece is disposed within the handle opening of the face member and includes a leading end and a trailing end. The plurality of breakable tabs detachably secure the head piece and the handle piece, respectively, to the face member. In this regard, individual ones of the breakable tabs are located to connect both the leading end and the trailing end of the head piece to the face member. Likewise, separate breakable tabs are positioned so as to connect both the leading end and the trailing end of the handle piece to the face member. Finally, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other upon detachment from the face member to form a utensil. In one preferred embodiment, the head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a cover for a portable food container defined by a base and a side wall forming a lip. The cover comprises a cover body, a head piece, a handle piece and a plurality of gate markings. The cover body includes a face member and a skirt. The skirt extends from an outer periphery of the face member and is sized to selectively receive the lip. The head piece and the handle piece are each detachably secured to the face member. Further, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other upon detachment from the face member to form a utensil. In one preferred embodiment, the head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon. Finally, the plurality of gate markings is indicative of a plurality of plastic injection gates. Thus, the cover is formed by a device incorporating a plurality of plastic injection gates that result in the plurality of gate markings.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a cover for a portable food container defined by a base and a side wall forming a lip. The cover comprises a cover body, a head piece and a handle piece. The cover body includes a face member and a skirt. The skirt extends downwardly from an outer periphery of the face member such that the face member defines an upper most plane of the cover. The head piece and the handle piece are detachably secured to the face member. Further, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other upon detachment from the face member to form a utensil. In one preferred embodiment, the head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a cover for a portable food container. The portable food container includes a base and a side wall terminating in a lip opposite the base. The cover comprises a cover body, a utensil and a protective film. The cover body includes a face member and a skirt. The skirt extends from an outer periphery of the face member and is sized to selectively receive the lip formed by the container. The utensil is formed in the cover body and includes a head piece and a handle piece. Each of the head piece and the handle piece are detachably secured to the face member. Further, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other upon detachment from the cover body to form the utensil. In one preferred embodiment, the head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon. Finally, the protective film is resealably secured to the cover body. The protective film provides a sanitary seal for the head piece and the handle piece. Prior to use, the cover is mounted to the container via the skirt. To access the contents of the container, a consumer simply removes the cover from the container. Once removed, the head piece and the handle piece are detached from the face member and assembled to form a utensil. As part of this detachment process, or for other reasons, the protective film may partially disengage the cover body. However, the protective film can be resealed to the cover body and the cover body resecured to the container so as to protect any remaining food contents.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a cover for a portable food container defined by a side wall forming a lip. The cover comprises a cover body, a utensil, a plurality of breakable tabs, a plurality of gate markings and a protective film. The cover body includes a face member and a skirt. The face member forms a head opening and a handle opening. The skirt extends downwardly from an outer periphery of the face member such that the face member defines an upper most plane of the cover body. Further, the skirt is configured to selectively receive the lip formed by the container. The utensil includes a head piece and a handle piece. The head piece is disposed within the bowl opening and defines a leading end and a trailing end. Several of the plurality of breakable tabs detachably connect the head piece to the face member, including the leading end and the trailing end. The handle piece is disposed within the handle opening and defines a leading end and a trailing end. Several of the plurality of breakable tabs detachably connect the handle piece to the face member, including the leading end and the trailing end. Upon detachment from the face member, the head piece and the handle piece are configured for assembly to each other to form the utensil. In one preferred embodiment, he head piece includes a bowl such that the assembled utensil is a spoon. The plurality of gate markings is indicative of a plurality of injection mold gates. Finally, the protective film is resealably secured to the cover body.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a cover for a portable food container. The cover includes a cover body and a utensil detachably connected to the cover body, the utensil including a head piece and a handle piece. The method of manufacturing includes providing a mold configured to produce a portable food container cover having a desired shape and size, and including a detachable utensil. A plurality of gates are formed in the mold. A flowable plastic is injected into the mold via the plurality of gates to form the portable food container cover. Finally, the portable food container cover is removed from the mold. By employing a plurality of gates, the above process greatly reduces the overall costs of manufacture.